Over the last week, two political leaders have exchanged barbs underlining the powerful nuclear arsenals of their respective nations. It was not just a pointless demonstration of bravado — it also showed that careless words and vague military threats can move the world closer to a disastrous conflict.
The first to lash out was Dimitry Medvedev, a former president and prime minister of Russia, who now serves as deputy chair of President Vladimir Putin’s security council. In a social media post on July 28, he said a U.S. ultimatum for Moscow to come to the negotiating table over Ukraine was a "threat and a step towards war.” Later, he alluded to Russia’s "dead hand” nuclear launch system, which automatically fires a nuclear strike if the nation is attacked with such weapons.
U.S. President Donald Trump responded to Medvedev’s comments by saying he had ordered two nuclear submarines "to be positioned in the appropriate regions.” He concluded by saying, correctly, that "words are very important and can often lead to unintended consequences, I hope this will not be one of those instances.” (On Monday, a Kremlin spokesman warned against "nuclear rhetoric.”)
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